This invention relates to water or liquid stealing traps such as used to connect the waste water outlet of a wash-basin, sink or the like to a waste water drainage system.
It is generally known that a permanent water seal is required in the water trap to assure the normal function of a waste water outlet installation and to prevent contaminated air from the sewer from contacting the surrounding atmosphere.
A water trap of this kind may be U shaped with one leg connected to a sanitary appliance, such as a wash basin or the like, and the other leg connected to the waste water system. Another embodiment of the water trap may be in the shape of a bottle-like container, in the centre of which extends a vertical pipe connected to the water basin and having an outlet for connection with the waste water pipe.
Existing water traps of the two kinds have been provided with an air admittance valve in order to eliminate negative air pressure which may occur in the drainage system, especially when flushing down an amount of waste water through the vertical parts of the waste water pipes. In such cases air suction may be such that the water contained in the water traps is sucked away, breaking the water seal.
A U-shaped water trap provided with an air admittance valve has already been disclosed in patent
The patent documents
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The present invention provides means eliminating the drawbacks outlined here above whereby the water trap has minimum overall dimensions while maintaining or even improving the water flow capacity and lowering the required maintenance frequency of the water trap.
The present invention further allows for the water trap embodiment to be covered by a suitable jacket adapted to the design and materials of the sanitary appliance.
According to the present invention, the water trap is configured and provided with means as set forward in the main claim.
An embodiment of a water trap according to the invention will be described hereafter, by way of an example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
In
The upper portion 4 is provided with an inlet opening 5 adapted to receive the outlet pipe 6 of a water basin or the like. As can be seen in
As shown in
The shape of the membrane 8 will advantageously be cup or U shaped in order to reduce the total height of the housing 1 and to leave sufficient space for the guiding means 7.
The central portion 3 of the water trap has an horizontal section which corresponds with the shape of the upper closing portion 4. During assembling of the components of the water trap, the closing portion 4 is fixed to the upper side of the central portion 3.
Accordingly, the central portion 3 is provided with a cylindrical space 10, extending vertically and adapted to receive the outlet pipe 6 of the water basin, or the like, which is passing through the inlet opening 5 of the upper portion 4, as shown in
Adjacent to the cylindrical space 10, the central portion 3 is provided, in an upper part, with a valve housing 11 constituting an air admittance valve and, in a lower part, with an outlet opening 12 situated in a lateral extension from the central portion 3, said outlet opening 12 being located underneath the housing 11 of the air admittance valve.
The valve housing 11 is built in such a way that it forms an air admittance area 17 between its lower part and the upper surface of the outlet opening 12. Said lower part forms a valve seat 9 on which rests the membrane 8 in closed position, by gravity only, and which leaves a space 18 between the seat 9 and a vertical wall 19 defining the cylindrical space 10 of the central portion 3.
The outlet opening 12 is adapted to co-operate with a pipe 13 connected to the drainage system and is provided about its centre with an horizontal partition wall 14 which is situated about the centre line of the opening 12 and dividing said opening into completely separated conduits, one upper conduit 15, above the partition wall, to allow air inlet flow from the air admittance valve when negative pressure occurs in the drainage system and one lower conduit 16, beneath the partition wall, to allow the waste water to be evacuated into the pipe 13 of the drainage system.
The air inlet flow through the upper conduit 15 emerges into the outlet opening 12 by means of a venturi shaped upper wall of the opening 12 improving the air flow capacity. The waste water flow through the lower conduit 16 emerges into the outlet opening 12 by means of a venturi shaped lower wall of the opening 12 improving the water flow capacity.
The conduit 16 is provided, in its lower part, with a restriction in the shape of an overflow rim 32 towards the evacuation pipe 13. The level of said overflow rim 32 is situated above the lowest level of the evacuation pipe 13.
In case of negative pressure in the drainage system, the membrane 8 will automatically lift from its seat 9 and atmospheric air will be able to flow into the water trap via the space 18 and the upper conduit 15 towards the evacuation pipe 13 and the drainage system.
According to the invention, the vertical wall 19 of the central portion 3 extends downwards to form a separation wall 20 adapted to co-operate with vertical guiding and tightening slots 21 provided laterally on both inner sides of the lower portion 2 (
Said lower portion 2 has the outer shape of an oblong cup formed by two intersecting cylindrical walls the intersecting parts being left out to create a space provided for the separation wall of the central portion 3. The guiding and tightening slots 21 are provided in the inner lateral intersection area of said cylindrical walls and the separation wall 20 leaves sufficient space between its lower part and the bottom of the lower portion 2 to allow full capacity of the waste water flow to be evacuated.
The actual water trap seal is formed between the upper level of the rim 32 and the lower extremity of the separation wall 20. The distance between those levels constitutes the height of the water trap seal which can be adapted to existing standards relating to the height of the water trap, the separation wall 20 being always situated below the water level of the water trap.
In fact the water trap according to the present invention has not a U shaped body but the U shaped pattern of the water seal itself is only obtained by the cylindrical intersecting side walls of the lower portion 2 in combination with the separation wall 20 extending downwards from the central portion 3. Accordingly, it is important that the lateral side walls of said separation wall 20 co-operate with the guiding means 21 in such a way that it becomes a water tight connection (see
In order to improve the working of, and to avoid frequent maintenance of, the water trap, the bottom of the lower portion 2 is provided with deflection walls 22 restricting the water flow in the bottom of the lower part 2 in order to increase the velocity of the water flow and to evacuate waste deposit in the water trap.
The lower portion 2 will be advantageously fixed to the central portion 3 by any suitable means. In the embodiment shown on the enclosed drawings 1, 2A, 3 and 4, the lower portion 2 is fixed to the central portion by means of screws 23 adapted to fit into holes 24 of the central portion 3. According to the shown embodiment, the fixing means or screws 23 are situated in the central area of the intersecting cylindrical walls in order not to protrude beyond the outer lateral surface of the water trap housing 1
The contact surfaces between the lower surface of the central portion 3 and the upper surface of the lower portion 2 will advantageously be provided with sealing means such as a flange joint or an O-ring to avoid leakage between the two parts.
When evacuating waste water from the water basin, the water will flow through the outlet pipe 6 directly into the lower portion 2 of the water trap. The waste water will flow via the bottom of the lower portion 2 and the deflection walls 22 and between the partition wall 14 and the overflow rim 32 towards the evacuation pipe 13.
Upon stopping of the waste water flow, a water trap will be built up in the lower portion 2 of the water trap according to the invention and partly in the central portion 3 up to the level of the overflow rim 32. In case of negative pressure in the drainage system, the membrane 8 of the air admittance valve will lift up temporarily and allow air flow to enter the system via the space 18 and the upper conduit 15 above the partition wall 14 towards the evacuation pipe 13.
An advantage of the water trap, according to the invention, is in the fact that the outer configuration is particularly suitable to be covered by a jacket 25 such as the one illustrated in
Said jacket 25 can be maintained onto the water trap 1 by means of a closing member 26 adapted to be installed in the upper region of the water trap. For this purpose this member 26 is provided in a horizontal part with an opening 27 suitable to match with the inlet opening 5 of the water trap 1 and in a vertical part with a half cylindrical opening 28 suitable to match the central portion 3 at the rear part of the outlet opening 12.
The jacket 25 itself covers almost the entire embodiment of the water trap 1 and is provided on the backside with an opening and an half cylindrical opening 29 suitable to match the central portion 3 at the rear part of the outlet opening 12.
Different means can be proposed to maintain the jacket and the closing member together. In the embodiment shown in
As shown on
The jacket could also have a clear rectangular horizontal cross section such as shown in the bottom view of
The main advantage of the present invention is to provide a water trap device, provided with an air admittance valve, with minimum overall dimensions which is most appreciated in general confined or restricted spaces.
Another advantage of the present invention is the fact that, due to said minimum overall dimensions, it becomes possible to provide the water trap with a suitable cover in the shape of a jacket adapted to match with the design, material or colour of the sanitary appliance to which it is connected.
Despite the fact that only one embodiment of the water trap structure, according to the present invention, has been described in detail here above, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.